The Players Championship: Justin Thomas matches course record with historic swing in second round at TPC Sawgrass
Justin Thomas slipped at the worst time on Friday afternoon.
Thomas, after missing the fairway with his tee shot at the 18th at TPC Sawgrass, then hit his approach shot into the water along the opposite side of the green. It was his only blemish on what was nearly a historic day.
[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K]
That left him with a bogey on the final hole, but Thomas still carded a 10-under 62 — which matched the course record and sent him flying up the leaderboard at the midway point of The Players Championship. Had he been able to simply par the last, the record would’ve been his.
History at @THEPLAYERS 🔥@JustinThomas34 has tied the course record @TPCSawgrass! pic.twitter.com/kebLBuQReI
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 14, 2025
“I didn’t know,” Thomas said of his mindset at the 18th with the record in sight. “I just wanted to make another birdie, and then once I missed the fairway, birdie is kind of out of the question … I’m in no way, shape or form letting that dwell on the great round I had today.”
While the 11-birdie round is remarkable on its own, it came after what was a disastrous start for Thomas on Thursday. He posted an opening-round 78 with three bogeys and three double-bogeys. The 16-shot improvement over the first two days was the biggest jump in the tournament’s history.
In total, Thomas climbed up more than 100 spots on the leaderboard. He safely made the cut at 4-under on the week, but he trails co-leaders Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia by seven shots entering Saturday.
“I’m just happy to have a tee time tomorrow,” he said on the Golf Channel. “I was losing to I think everybody that was playing golf yesterday at one point.”
Thomas has won 15 times in his career on the PGA Tour, though he hasn’t won since the PGA Championship in 2022. He missed the cut at The Players Championship last year, but he entered this week with three top-10 finishes already this season — including a runner-up finish at The American Express.
Even though a win this week may already be out of reach based on where he stands on the leaderboard, Thomas is very content with his position entering the clubhouse. It wasn’t his score that was the best part of Friday's round, he said, but rather the fact that he simply kept his head down the entire way.
"It was just staying present, just focus on what I'm doing, not focusing on what could be, where the ball could go, anything," Thomas said. "It's just as much of a skill as it is being able to hit a wedge a certain distance or control your distance.
"I hadn't done it that well in a round in a really long time, so I'm probably more proud of that than I am of the score today."
-
Thomas ties course record with 62 as Lee, Bhatia lead Players
Justin Thomas matched the TPC Sawgrass course record with a 10-under-par 62 on Friday while Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia each fired 66s to share the second-round lead at The Players ...Yahoo Sports - 4h -
Justin Thomas completes historic turnaround at Players Championship to tie course record
Justin Thomas was in danger of missing the cut at The Players Championship for the second consecutive year, but completed an epic turnaround.Yahoo Sports - 4h -
Thomas equals Sawgrass record as McIlroy two off lead
Justin Thomas equals the TPC Sawgrass course record with a stunning 10-under-par 62, while Rory McIlroy is just two shots off the lead at The Players Championship.Yahoo Sports - 4h -
Players Championship 2025: Justin Thomas ties TPC Sawgrass course record with sizzling 62, scoring 11 birdies
Thomas was on fire ... until finding the water on the 18th holeCBS Sports - 4h -
From 78 to 62: Justin Thomas ties course record, rebounds into contention at The Players
Justin Thomas tied a course record Friday and now has an outside chance at a second Players Championship title.Yahoo Sports - 4h -
Justin Thomas ties single-round record at The Players with unbelievable Day 2 turnaround
While a bogey on Hole 18 prevented him from setting the new record, Justin Thomas matched the round-best score at The Players with a 10-under Friday.Yahoo Sports - 5h -
Justin Thomas threatens course record Friday at Players Championship, settles for 62
Thomas drained a 19-foot birdie putt at the 17th, the longest putt he made all day, and lifted his putter in celebration as it just tumbled in.Yahoo Sports - 5h -
Jordan Spieth opens 2025 Players Championship in contention with vintage up-and-down performance in Round 1
Spieth was the best and worst player on the course Thursday morning at TPC SawgrassCBS Sports - 1d -
2025 Players Championship tee times, pairings: Complete field, groups, schedule for Round 2 at TPC Sawgrass
Players will look to shoot into contention or inside the cut line Friday at TPC SawgrassCBS Sports - 13h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Alabama basketball is everything Kentucky wants to be — and will very soon | C.L. Brown
Mark Pope's Kentucky basketball team has been inconsistent this season, but the Wildcats aren't that far from returning to the top of nation's elite.Yahoo Sports - 15m -
Love helps Arizona topple short-handed No. 9 Texas Tech 86-80 in Big 12 tourney semifinals
Caleb Love scored 27 points and Arizona took advantage of injuries that left Texas Tech short-handed for an 86-80 victory over the No. 9 Red Raiders in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals Friday ...Yahoo Sports - 17m -
The 3-pointer: Takeaways from No. 5 Alabama's win over No. 15 Kentucky
The Tide’s offense got going early, running effective half-court sets early to open Kentucky’s defense and go on a 3-point barrage in the second half. Alabama’s efficient offense was matched with ...Yahoo Sports - 20m -
Kentucky basketball can't hang with Alabama in SEC Tournament quarterfinal, awaits NCAA bid
Mark Pope's short-handed Kentucky basketball team was routed by Alabama on Friday in an SEC Tournament quarterfinal in Nashville.Yahoo Sports - 20m -
Parker Kelly scores 2 as Avalanche beat Flames 4-2 to move to 7-0-1 in last 8 games
Parker Kelly scored twice and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Calgary Flames 4-2 on Friday night. Ryan Lindgren and Valeri Nichushkin also scored for Colorado, which has points in eight straight ...Yahoo Sports - 21m
More in Sports
-
Men's Bracketology: UNC is still in, plus more updates from a busy Friday
Despite UNC's loss to Duke, it remains in the bracket for now.ESPN - 11m -
Bulls banners 'Disturbed' during show; need fixes
All six Bulls championship banners were pulled from the rafters after being damaged Saturday night at a concert by Chicago area band Disturbed.ESPN - 12m -
Source: Kupp to join Seahawks on 3-year deal
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp has reached agreement on a three-year, $45 million contract with the Seahawks, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday.ESPN - 12m -
Thomas ties TPC record after 16-shot turnaround
Despite a bogey on 18, Justin Thomas fired a jaw-dropping 62 that tied the TPC Sawgrass record (Tom Hoge, 2023) and gave him a whopping 16-shot improvement over Thursday's 78.ESPN - 12m -
NWSL's BOS Nation to be renamed after backlash
Boston's 2026 NWSL franchise announced Friday that it will officially change its name following a highly-ridiculed launch last fall.ESPN - 12m